Resilient floor, especially for gymnasiums

ABSTRACT

A final top floor covering is laid on top of a top floor portion formed of fiberboard panels which in turn are disposed on top of smaller square fiberboard elements forming a bottom floor portion. The square fiberboard elements in turn are laid on top of resiliently elastic panels which form a supporting floor. The edge length of the fiberboard panels is an integral multiple of the edge length of the individual square fiberboard elements, which latter is preferably smaller than the edge length of the elastic panels of the supporting floor, wherein the joints between the various panels and elements forming the supporting floor, bottom floor portion, and top floor portion are not in mutual alignment. In a modified form the top floor portion, bottom floor portion and supporting floor are constructed in prefabricated floor elements with overlapping marginal zones whereby adjacent prefabricated floor elements are connected together by screws or the like.

United States Patent [191 Hofmann RESILIENT FLOOR, ESPECIALLY FOR GYMNAS IUMS Inventor: Alwin Hofmann, l-lildrizhausan,

' Germany Assignee: Mero-Werke KG, Wurzburg,

, Germany Filed: May 4,1973

Appl. No.: 357,270

Foreign Application Priority Data May 4, 1972 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Dietrich Germany 2221761 Labra 52/390' 52/403 3,579,941 5/1971 Tibbals 52/390 [451 Aug. 13, 1974 Primary ExaminerJohn E. Murtagh Attorney, Agent, or FirmBrady, OBoyle & Gates 57 ABSTRACT I A final top floor covering is laid on top of a top floor portion formed of fiberboard panels which in turn are disposed on top of smaller square fiberboard elements forming a bottom floor portion. The square fiberboard elements in turn are laid on top of resiliently elastic panels which form a supporting floor. The edge length of the fiberboard panels'is an integral multiple of the edge length of the individual square fiberboard elements, which latter is preferably smaller than the edge length of the elastic panels of the supporting floor, wherein the joints between the various panels and elements forming the supporting floor, bottom floor portion, and top floor portion are not in mutual alignment. In a modified form the top floor portion, bottom floor portion and supporting floor are constructed in prefabricated floor elements with overlapping marginal zones whereby adjacent prefabricated floor ele- 1 ments are connected together by screws or the like.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED Am; 1 31974 SHEET 2 0F 2 RESILIENT FLOOR, ESPECIALLY FOR GYMNASIUMS This invention relates to a resilient floor, especially for gymnasiums, with a floor covering laid on a top floor formed with fiberboards, which latter, in turn, are disposed on smaller, square fiberboards forming a bottom floor, these square fiberboards lying, in turn, on elastic panels forming a supporting floor.

The invention is based on the problem of providing a resilient floor which, as compared to conventional resilient floors of this type, can be adapted within a small greater range than heretofore possible to varying requirements, particularly with respect to modulus of deformation, standard deflection. [flexure], energy loss, and ball reflection, but which yet is less expensive.

Starting with a resilient floor of the type mentioned above, this problem is solved, in accordance with the invention, by providing that the fiberboards of the bottom floor have an edge length which, at most, is equal to, but preferably smaller than the edge length of the elastic panels of the supporting floor; and that the panels of the supporting floor, of the bottom floor, and of the top floor are all laid with fitting joints.

Thus, panels are employed for the bottom floor which are substantially smaller than in conventional resilient floors, whereby it is possible to improve the vibration limit and also to reduce the deflection [sagging] trough. Furthermore, it is possible to vary the characteristics of the floor, e.g. the standard deflection, the energy loss, and the ball reflection, and to adapt same to the posed requirements within very wide limits by changing the densification of the material employed for the elastic panels, as well as the thickness of the panels produced from this material, and to a certain extent also by varying the size of the panels. Another advantage resides in the excellent heatand soundproofing effect due to the elastic panels of the supporting floor, which is also of great importance in cases where the elasticity of the panels of the supporting floor is chosen to be very minor, which will normally be the case when the floor is laid, for example, in a residential or business building, rather than in a gymnasium.

Since the elastic panels of the supporting floor are equal to or larger than the fiberboards of the bottom floor and thus abut essentially in a jointless manner, the resilient floor of this invention offers the additional advantage that no ventilation is required, since no cavities exist. Also, as compared to a resilient floor consisting of a rubber layer of a thickness of several centimeters, there is the advantage that the floor of this invention has a point-like load sustaining power and provides satisfactory standing stability for the feet.

The lower costs are primarily due to the fact that each fiberboard panel of the bottom floor need be associated, at most, with one elastic panel, which considerably reduces the time consumed for laying of the floor.

If the characteristics to be provided make this possible, it is generally advantageous to form the panels of the supporting floor to be of a large surface area as compared to the fiberboards of the bottom floor. On the one hand, this reduces the time consumed for the laying of the supporting floor and, on the other hand, no difficulties are encountered in mounting relatively small panels for the bottom floor.

In a preferred embodiment, the edge length of the panels for the top floor amounts to an integral multiple of the edge length of the panels of the bottom floor, plus any seams which may exist between the latter panels. This ensures that the joint seams of the panels of the top floor always have the same position with respect to the panels of the bottom floor provided therebeneath, so that the seams of the latter can be sufficiently covered by the panels of the top floor.

Such a relative size of the panels of the top floor as compared to the panels of the bottom floor is also required if the floor is made of prefabricated floor elements, as is the case in a particularly advantageous embodiment. Such floor elements which can be fabricated ahead of time in the plant, make it possible to shorten the time required for laying the floor by a further considerable amount. Furthermore, these prefabricated elements facilitate removal of the floor, which can be necessary if the gymnasium or the like wherein the resilient floor is installed is to be utilized for different purposes, for example for sports events, expositions, agricultural fairs, and the like. It is likewise possible, in case the panels of the individual floors are individually placed one on top of the other, to provide detachable connections at certain intervals, permitting a disassembly of the floor without damage to its respective parts. However, prefabricated floor elements facilitate the removal of the floor.

Each floor element can comprise a top floor panel joined to a group of bottom floor panels resulting in the same panel size, wherein two adjoining longitudinal edges of the top floor panel are arranged centrally with respect to the bottom floor panels forming two adjoining marginal zones. The two projecting marginal zones of the top floor panel then cover the exposed marginal zones of the bottom floor of neighboring floor elements, so that the properties of the floor at the junction points are the same as in the remaining areas.

It is, of course, possible to connect the panel or panels of the supporting floor with the panels of the bottom floor of each prefabricated floor element, whereby a separate laying of the supporting floor is eliminated.

The connection between the top floor panels and the bottom floor panels disposed along the edges thereof can be effected by means of screws at those points where a separating possibility is desirable or required. Insofar as prefabricated floor elements are used, the top floor panels can be provided with the passage bores necessary for the screws, and the bottom floor panels can be provided with threaded bushings during the pre fabrication.

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to two embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion, partially broken away, of a first embodiment of the resilient floor according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along line lIIl OF FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partially exploded, of a floor element of the second embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of several assembled floor elements according to FIG. 3.

The resilient floor shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises, in a sequence from the bottom toward the top, largearea panels 1 of an elastic foam material, which form a supporting floor, square fiberboard panels 2, which form a bottom floor, large-area, rectangular fiberboard panels 3, which serve as pressure-distributing panels and form a top floor, as well as a floor covering 4 which, in this embodiment, is made of a synthetic resin. However, a different floor covering could also be employed. The rectangular panels 1 are joined seamlessly and, in this embodiment, have a size of l m. by 2 m. The thickness of these panels is mm., but can also be larger or smaller. The compression [densification] of the foam material, just as the thickness of the panels 1, is adapted to the requirements to be met by the floor. The panels 1 are disposed on an insulating layer, not shown, which in this embodiment is provided on the rough floor 5.

The fiberboards 2 are glued to the panels 1 and, in this embodiment, have an edge length of 25 cm. and are laid in the manner of a checkerboard with, at most,

minor seams. Due to the relatively small edge length of the fiberboard panels 2, an extremely satisfactory vibration limitation is attained. The thickness of the fiberboards 2, in this embodimenfiis 16 mm.

The fiberboards 3 forming the top floor are laid on top of the bottom floor formed by the fiberboard panels 2. The fiberboards 3, in this embodiment, have the dimensions of 1.70 m. by 3.50 m. and a thickness of 10 mm. As shown in FIG. 1, the longitudinal edges of the fiberboards 3 are disposed centrally to the fiberboard panels 2 arranged therebelow. The fiberboards 3 are glued together with the fiberboard panels 2 and joined by means of staples affixed by a power tool. The floor covering 4 is glued to the fiberboards 3.

It is unnecessary to provide any ventilation, since the floor has no cavities.

By the selection of the densification of the foam material employed for the panels 1, as well as by the thickness of the panels 1, the floor can be adapted not only to varying requirements during sports events (gymnastics, physical education, athletic competition), but it is also possible to thereby fully meet the requirements posed by the international committee for gymnasium counseling.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show another embodiment of a resilient floor. However, the properties of the fioor could also be selected so that it has no appreciable elasticity any more, as is usually demanded for floors in residences or businesses.

The construction of the floor in this embodiment coincides with the structure of the floor in the embodiment of FIGS. .1 and 2 insofar as square fiberboards 102 are laid on top of panels 101 of a foam material, forming the supporting floor; the square fiberboards 102 form the bottom floor. The large-area fiberboard panels 103, in turn, which form the top floor, are disposed on top of the fiberboards 102. Also, in conformance to the first embodiment, the fiberboards 102 are laid in the manner of a checkerboard. However, as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, it would also be possible here to arrange adjacent rows of fiberboards 102 so that they are offset by respectively one-half of a fiberboard.

In a deviation from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the resilient floor is composed, in the example of FIGS. 3 and 4, of individual floor elements which are prefabricated and denoted as a whole by 106. These floor elements 106, which can be prefabricated in the plant, comprise respectively one fiberboard 103 of the top floor, glued and stapled together with a group of fiberboards 102 of the bottom floor resulting in the same panel size. In the embodiment, respectively fifteen fiberboards 102 are connected with one panel 103 of the top floor. Two adjoining longitudinal edges 103' and 103" of the fiberboard 103 are disposed, in these floor elements, centrally to the fiberboards 102 of the bottom floor, forming two adjoining marginal zones. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the consequence is that the two other edges of the fiberboard 103 project beyond the fiberboards 102 joined thereto by half the width of such a fiberboard.

In the embodiment, the fiberboards 102 of the bottom floor have a thickness of 16 mm. and an edge length of 40 cm. The edge length of the fiberboards 103, which must be an integral multiple of the edge length of the fiberboards 102, is accordingly 2 m. or 1.2 m., respectively.

Threaded sleeves 107 are provided for the mounting of screws in the zone not covered by the fiberboard 103. Passage bores 108 are arranged at corresponding points in the fiberboard 103 in the projecting marginal zones thereof. Thus, for connecting the floor elements 106, it is merely required to pass the screws through the bores 108 and to thread them into the aligned threaded bores of the threaded sleeves of the adjoining floor element. In cases where a subsequent disassembly', for example for removing the resilient floor, is not required, it is, of course, possible to join the parts also by gluing in addition to the threaded connection.

The fiberboards 102, between which seams can be present, are glued onto the panel 101. In the embodiment, the longitudinal edges of the panel 101 are aligned with respect to the longitudinal edges of the plate-shaped composite consisting of the panels 102. However, the panel 101 could also be chosen to be somewhat smaller. Furthermore, it would be possible to associate each fiberboard 102 with a separate panel of foam material; thereby, more or less large seams could be provided between the individual foam panels within the floor element.

In the embodiment, the panel 101 is laminated on its underside together with a protective film 109 of a synthetic resin. Consequently, the floor element 106 can be placed directly on top of the rough floor.

The densification of the foam material constituting the panels 101 is adapted to the respective requirements. This densification can be selected so that, at most, there is only a minor elasticity left. In this case, it is, of course, also possible to use a hard foam material or the like for the panels 101. Thereby, the good sound insulation and the good heat proofnessare preserved.

If, for some reason, it is impracticable to provide a prefabricated connection of the panels 101 with the fiberboards 102, the prefabricated floor element can, of course, consist only of the fiberboards 102 and 103. Furthermore, in place of a protective film laminated to the panel, it is also possible to use a film [sheet] which is placed on the rough floor or on a layer provided on the rough floor, prior to the laying of the floor elements.

What is claimed is: v r

l. A resilient floor, comprising a top floor portion formed of fiberboard panels, a floor covering laid on said top floor portion, a bottom floor portion formed of smaller, square fiberboard elements, said fiberboard panels of said top floor portion disposed on top of said smaller square fiberboard elements of said bottom floor portion, a supporting floor formed of elastic panels, said square fiberboard elements of said bottom floor portion lying in turn on said elastic panels of said supporting floor, characterized in that the square fiberboard elements of said bottom floor portion each having an edge length which is at most equal to and preferably smaller than the edge length of said elastic panels of said supporting floor; and the elastic panels of the supporting floor, the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion, and the fiberboard panels of the top floor portion are all laid with fitting joints.

2. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which the elastic panels of the supporting floor are of a large area as compared to the area of each of the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion.

3. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 2, in which the elastic panels of the supporting floor have an edge length at least twice as large as the edge length of one of the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion.

4. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which said elastic panels are constructed of a resilient foam material, characterized in that the densification of the resilient foam material and/or the thickness of the elastic panels are adapted to the required values for modulus of deformation, standard deflection, energy loss, and ball reflection.

5 A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which the edge length of each square fiberboard element of the bottom floor portion is at most 50 cm., preferably at most 30 cm., and the elastic panels forming the supporting floor having a thickness of between mm. and mm.

6. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which the edge length of the fiberboard panels of the top floor portion is an integral multiple of the edge length of the individual square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion plus any seams which are present in the latter.

7. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 6, in which said top floor portion, said bottom floor portion and said supporting floor are constructed of a plurality of prefabricated floor elements, each prefabricated floor element comprising a fiberboard panel of the top floor portion joined to a group of square fiber board elements of the bottom floor portion resulting in the same pane] size, the fiberboard panel being offset relative to the gruop of square fiberboard elements wherein two adjoining longitudinal edges of the fiberboard panel of the top floor portion are disposed substantially centrally with respect to the tops of square fiberboard elements along the respective two adjoining longitudinal edges of the bottom floor portion forming two adjoining marginal overlap zones for adjacent prefabricated floor elements.

8. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 7, in which the elastic panel or panels of the supporting floor are connected with the group of square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion of each prefabricated floor element.

9. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 7, including detachable screw connections between the two adjoining longitudinal edges of the fiberboard panel of the top floor portion of each prefabricated floor element and the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion arranged along the cooperating longitudinal edges of the adjacent prefabricated floor elements in the marginal overlap zones. 

1. A resilient floor, comprising a top floor portion formed of fiberboard panels, a floor covering laid on said top floor portion, a bottom floor portion formed of smaller, square fiberboard elements, said fiberboard panels of said top floor portion disposed on top of said smaller square fiberboard elements of said bottom floor portion, a supporting floor formed of elastic panels, said square fiberboard elements of said bottom floor portion lying in turn on said elastic panels of said supporting floor, characterized in that the square fiberboard elements of said bottom floor portion each having an edge length which is at most equal to and preferably smaller than the edge length of said elastic panels of said supporting floor; and the elastic panels of the supporting floor, the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion, and the fiberboard panels of the top floor portion are all laid with fitting joints.
 2. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which the elastic panels of the supporting floor are of a large area as compared to the area of each of the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion.
 3. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 2, in which the elastic panels of the supporting floor have an edge length at least twice as large as the edge length of one of the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion.
 4. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which said elastic panels are constructed of a resilient foam material, characterized in that the densification of the resilient foam material and/or the thickness of the elastic panels are adapted to the required values for modulus of deformation, standard deflection, energy loss, and ball reflection.
 5. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which the edge length of each square fiberboard element of the bottom floor portion is at most 50 cm., preferably at most 30 cm., and the elastic panels forming the supporting floor having a thickness of between 10 mm. and 20 mm.
 6. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 1, in which the edge length of the fiberboard panels of the top floor portion is an integral multiple of the edge length of the individual square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion plus any seams which are present in the latter.
 7. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 6, in which said top floor portion, said bottom floor portion and said supporting floor are constructed of a plurality of prefabricated floor elements, each prefabricated floor element comprising a fiberboard panel of the top floor portion joined to a group of square fiber board elements of the bottom floor portion resulting in the same panel size, the fiberboard panel being offset relative to the gruop of square fiberboard elements wherein two adjoining longitudinal edges of the fiberboard panel of the top floor portion are disposed substantially centrally with respect to the tops of square fiberboard elements along the respective two adjoining longitudinal edges of the bottom floor portion forming two adjoining marginal overlap zones for adjacent prefabricated floor elements.
 8. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 7, in which the elastic panel or panels of the supporting floor are connected with the group of square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion of each prefabricated floor element.
 9. A resilient floor as set forth in claim 7, including detachable screw connections between the two adjoining longitudinal edges of the fiberboard panel of the top floor portion of each prefabricated floor element and the square fiberboard elements of the bottom floor portion arranged along the cooperating longitudinal edges of the adjacent prefabricated floor elements in the marginal overlap zones. 